Stocks to watch: Ariel, Exxon, CMGI, Maytag, Sara Lee

CBS.MarketWatch.com

U.S. stocks to watch

Ariel Corp. shares surged 244 percent Friday and remained active in after-hours trading. The company
adsp
which supplies Windows NT and Linux remote access products, saw its shares triple Wednesday after it said its RS4200 remote-access card had received worldwide certification for connection to international digital telephone networks. Shares rose 26 1/4 to close at 37 in the regular session but edged lower in after-market trading. See Screamers and Indications. In a statement Friday afternoon, the company offered no explanation for the spike in the stock price.

CMGIcmgiInternet Capital Groupicge
and Softbank were cited in a Sunday New York Times story as "one way to play start-ups" for retail investors lacking access to early-stage investments. Merrill Lynch's Henry Blodget called the Net incubator business model "compelling," while Roger McNamee of Integral Capital Partners told the Times that the stocks "have been a great way to turbocharge any portfolio." CMGI gained 3 Friday to end the week at 146 5/8, as Internet Capital moved 3 5/8 higher to 169 1/8. Softbank is traded in Tokyo.

DisneyDIS, -0.88%
may gain some attention after the weekend revelation that the average ad during January's Super Bowl broadcast on Disney's ABC will go for $2 million, with some spots costing 50 percent more. On Friday, Disney shares fell 11/16 to 27 9/16. See full story.

Shares of ExxonXON, +0.08%
and MobilMOB, +1.13%
may rise Monday on reports that the merger of the two oil giants is expected to receive Federal Trade Commission approval on Tuesday. Separately, BP Amoco's
BP.A, -3.01%
attempt to buy Atlantic RichfieldARC, +1.37%
for $29 billion is running into antitrust questions, and federal and some West Coast state officials are threatening to go to court to block the deal, according to a report in The New York Times. Exxon ended down 1 1/8 to 78 on Friday ahead of the reports, while Mobil was off 1 5/16 to 102 15/16. BP Amoco rose 1 1/16 to 61 1/16, and Atlantic Richfield ended up 1 1/4 to 95 3/16. See full story.

The supervisory board of Germany's Mannesmannmnnsy
after earlier stating that it would carefully consider Vodafone AirTouch's latest takeover off rather than dismiss it out of hand, formally rebuffed the U.K.-U.S. telecom firm
VOD, -1.40%
late Sunday. Shares of Mannesmann were up 6.9 percent Friday to 204.35, while Vodafone's U.S.-listed shares were up 3 7/8 to 48 3/4. See full story.

Maytag shares
MYG, -4.17%
may gain some strength Monday on a positive report in Barron's over the weekend. The weekly newspaper said that some on Wall Street see the appliance maker's stock returning to its highs in the 70s within "a year or so." Maytag has achieved profit margins of 15 percent in its home-appliance business vs. 6 percent at WhirlpoolSHR, -0.42%
and 12 percent at the appliance division of General ElectricGE, -1.70%
Maytag's shares ended down 1/16 at 45 9/16 on Friday.

Sara LeeSLE, +0.51%
has become a focus of speculation after a Nestle official said that the Swiss-based company is looking to sell its coffee brands. Shares of Chicago-based Sara Lee edged down 1/2 to 24 5/8. Media reports have also mentioned Procter & Gamble
PG, -1.35%
as a potential bidder. See full story. Shaw Cablesystems SJR, -0.40%
announced plans, after the market closed Friday, to expand its pay-per-view service to 50-plus channels. According to the Canadian communications company, it has invested over $7 million for the first phase of its national server-based distribution network to enable the expanded pay-per-view offering. Shares closed off 1/2 to 32 1/2 before the announcement.

Ashford.comasfd
shares ran up 10 3/4, or 76 percent, to 24 7/8 after analyst Anthony Noto of Goldman Sachs told CBS.MarketWatch.com that he has highlighted the stock as one of the top four stocks he covers in terms of potential to benefit from holiday e-shopping. Rounding out his top four are Amazon, EToys andBarnesandnoble.combnbn
which advanced 1/2 to 20 5/16.

AT&TT, -1.25%
shares shot up4 5/16 to 57 9/16 on reports that the company is considering an initial public offering for shares in its wireless business. See full story.

CDNowcdnw
shares jumped 1 3/4 to 17 after the Federal Trade Commission asked Time Warner
TWX, -0.28%
and Sony
SNE, +0.18%
for additional information in connection with CDNow's proposed merger with Columbia House, jointly run by Sony and Time Warner. CDNow said the companies are still committed to the merger, which is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

Internet Initiative JapanIIJI, -4.22%
shares advanced 13 3/8 to 81 3/8 after a portfolio manager at National City Investment Management told BusinessWeek that the stock is a good way to invest in Japan's growing Internet market. He notes that the shares could reach $150, since it trades at a huge discount to its worldwide peers.

Ito-Yokadoiycoy
shares climbed 12 percent, or 11 points, to 102, after Japan's second-biggest retailer said it plans to offer automated consumer banking services in its thousands of stores. The company is seeking government approval to place about 9,300 automatic tellers in its supermarkets, including those run by its Seven-Eleven Japan Co. unit.

Shares of Multiple Zones Internationalmzon
increased 1 1/8 to 10 1/8. The company was not immediately available for comment. On Nov. 22, the direct reseller of computer products and services unveiled TouchMarketing.com, a Web-based e-marketing service.

National Westminster BankNW, -8.33%
shares soared 12 percent after the Bank of Scotland raised its bid for the bank to $41.3 billion (25.58 billion pounds). The original offer was $34 billion. Including a dividend, the new offer is worth $44.5 billion. On Thursday, the U.K. government said it wouldn't block the merger on competition grounds. Royal Bank of Scotland, as had been predicted, has also entered the fray with a NatWest bid of its own. U.S.-listed shares of NatWest gained 16 1/8 to 146 7/8 in Friday trading. See related story.

Netcentivesncnt
shares rose 5 5/16, or 29 percent, to 23 7/16 after the developer of Internet loyalty infrastructure was highlighted by Computerworld as one of the 100 emerging companies to watch in 2000. Also helping to boost the stock was a positive mention in the current issue of BusinessWeek.

Quepasa.compasa
shares gained 5/8 to 11 9/16 after the online community for the U.S. Hispanic market announced it will offer exclusive streaming video capabilities to its members. This Friday, members were able to access videos on demand, starting with Ricky Martin's New York concert footage. See related story.

WestPoint Stevenswxs
shares surged 15 percent after the company's statement that it has engaged Merrill Lynch to assist its board in the exploration of strategic and financial alternatives to enhance shareholder value. Alternatives could include a merger, sale or recapitalization. Shares rose 2 7/8 to 21 7/8.

U.S. decliners Friday

Cherry Corp. cher
shares dropped 1 5/8, or 14 percent, to 10 after the company warned that its third-quarter earnings may be cut in half as it struggles to cope with demand for its electronics components. See full story.

MedCare Technologiesmcar
shares sank 7/8, or 21 percent, to 3 1/4. The company said its online business, RxSheets.com, has received a strong response from physicians. RxSheets is a pharmaceutical-industry Web site that lets physicians request and deliver product samples.

Shares of the World Wrestling FederationEntertainmentwwfe
sank 1 9/16 to 20 9/16 after the company announced that Coca-ColaKO, -1.48%
has canceled its WWF advertising schedule after receiving letters from the Parents Television Council complaining about program content. Coke shares fell 11/16 to 67 1/4.

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